With or Without You
by Morgane Lurker
Summary: A look into the relationship between a Melodius Nocturne and a mermaid, from the careless beginning to the troublesome end. Demyx x Ariel.


**Morgane: Well... What to say? Okay, hi in the fandom D! It's only recently I've began to write KH-fanfics - mostly hung around in the Jak and Daxter section - but I love Ariel x Demyx so I thought I'd publish this one here. And yep, the title is from from the U2 song )**

Title: With or Without you  
Fandom: Kingdom Hearts  
Pairing: Demyx x Ariel  
Genre: Romance/General

** With or Without you**

**Present time **  
It would be a long winter before they'd meet again, Demyx was very aware of that. When the nights began to draw in and the first frost covered the ground in front of Castle Oblivion, he had turned a blind eye to it. In the longest the Melodious Nocturne tried to pretend like nothing, but when his secret trips to Atlantica began to consist more in walking over acres of ice than talking to Ariel, the two considered the possibility of waiting with their rendezvous until following spring.

Demyx stepped out of the portal to Triton's kingdom, and began walking. It was strange what things had led to - after all it had began when Xemnas insisted to send number IX on a mission to gather information about how to overthrow the sea kingdom. The Nocturne had clearly stated his inability to talk to fishes, but he spoke for deaf ears…

------  
_'' Seriously, superior… Ever tried interviewing an octopus? They don't say anything!''_

_'' May I remind you that if we don't eliminate Triton now, he might turn out as a worthy challenger in the final battle. Though, I think most challengers would prove superior to you, number nine'' _

Demyx didn't want difficult opponents - gladly none at all to be honest. Save from if he ever joined the Kingdom's Idol competition. He grabbed his beloved companion the sitar and set off to the world that constituted home of the merpeople. Almost immediately after arriving, the blonde found something similar to a crab shell.

'' Uh, hello? Anybody home?'' he called, holding the mollusc closer to his ear. No answer. Well, what had he expected? A man whom was the closest to a marine expert Organization XIII had wouldn't do this!

Fascinated, Ariel watched the man from her hiding place. Sitting there with a seashell pressed to his ear, the blonde reminded of the human children she sometimes had seen. They thought they could hear the ocean waves in Sebastian's relatives' old homes, and it was kind of amusing.  
She crept closer.

'' It sounds better in real''.

Demyx bolted up from his position in the sand, and spun around. From a rock nearby, a redheaded female was watching him. She was cute, indeed, but what caught his attention were the green-glimmering fins the girl possesed instead of legs.  
A mermaid! The Melodious Nocturne turned knee weak. He had never seen one this close before, but it defiantly was worth the wait - he was in a lack of words.  
Upon stumbling closer, Demyx discovered what the thing dangling from her ear was.  
'' Miss…?'' The blonde fumbled for a name to grasp.  
'' Ariel''. Sweet, warm smile following this new fact.  
'' Yeah, miss Ariel, why do you have a _ballpoint pen _dangling from your ear?''.

Ariel was confused - ballpoint pen? But then she shone up, and snatched the thing from her ear lobe.  
'' Is that what you call this one? Scuttle says it's a 'finemang' human women wear as decorations. He's a friend of mine'' the mermaid clarified when Demyx didn't reply.

'' Your buddy probably mixed it up with something similar''. Demyx wasn't entirely lying: Larxene had a pair of earrings in shape of stiletto daggers, and she wore them during enjoyable occasions like Christmas and Easter.  
'' But humans prefer to use these for drawing and writing''. He sat down next to Ariel, but she didn't flinch away. Stupid prejudices - just because this girl had fins like a fish it didn't mean she'd act like one.

'' How exactly do you use it?''

Demyx dug around in his pockets and found a piece of paper. He lent the pen from the mermaid, clicked out the pen nib and scribbled down a note scale.  
'' Oh, so you're a composer, like Sebastian?'' water dripped down on the paper, as Ariel leaned over number IX's shoulder to read the writing  
'' Not exactly, but I like playing my sitar'' he pointed towards the instrument which leaned against a nearby rock. '' Would you like to hear some?''  
She nodded eagerly.  
'' If it's not too much to ask for''.  
----

**Present time **  
One event brought another: Before Ariel briskly returned home to Atlantica that warm day in the end of May, Demyx had promised to come back at some point- she'd know he was around when the water danced like that afternoon when he played the sitar, with her as a comfortable and cheerful company.  
The excuses to return to Atlantica were many in the beginning: More information required, only one creature in the ocean knew this or that, he needed to inspect how many Nobodies they'd need…. It was quite a pleasant time working in the Organization since the reports he brought the Superior looked well-plotted and detailed, but in real they were just results of what Demyx did best: Being creative.

Sometimes the Melodious Nocturne didn't even waste time excusing his vanishes from the High quarters - he just opened a portal and left, much to Xemnas' bewilderment. Those few good hours with Ariel made it worth the telling-offs.  
He once brought Ariel something her precious collection hid in a submarine cave missed: a set of plectrums. Not even a crone jewel would've been more carefully treated. In return, Demyx got a silver white shell.  
-  
-----  
'' I'll keep this one close to my heart'' Demyx smiled, and gently put the gift to his shoulder. Ariel giggled.  
'' You're funny, but in a good way. Your heart sit _there_, Dem-'' she stiffened with her fingers still placed to his chest.  
'' Odd. No heartbeats.''  
The shell landed between the Nocturne's feet: It had slipped out of the grip when he buried his face into his hands.  
'' Oh no, I should've told you long ago…'' He hid his face in shame.  
'' Demyx, what's wrong?'' Ariel sounded worried, placing a hand to his shoulder. Blue eyes eventually met darker blue eyes.  
'' Sweetcheeks, ever heard of the Heartless?''

Heartless? Sure Ariel had heard of them! Scuttle's explanations of them were quite diffuse (after all, he had only heard them from other wide-travelling seagulls), but they were enough to piece two and two together.  
'' They have no hearts and therefore no feelings. Wait, are you one of them, Dem?''  
'' Yes'' He sighed and looked up. '' So I shouldn't have feelings for you- just take over Atlantica like I'm ordered to and leave''.  
Ariel didn't flinch away. Instead, she spectated the blonde for a long while. Then:

'' But how can you be so sure about that? Because if you didn't feel something for this place, why return to it?''  
It had never struck him. This summer must've affected him; there was no other reason to risk his place in the Organization.  
-----

**Present time **  
Ariel stopped for only a second, catching a cold water bubble on her fingers. Demyx and she sure had a lot in common: Both were happy-go-lucky spirits searching for adventure, and music was a never-ending subject of conversation.  
But what they had most in common also divided the two lovebirds more than anything; the fall had set in. The ocean waves were raging and gales flooded the surroundings for a long time, stopping all communication to and from Atlantica.  
Demyx had been concerned during their latest meeting - this faint love he felt for Ariel was already a triumph for his nonexistent heart, what if he forgot her like everything else?

-----------  
In a weaker moment, Demyx revealed his secret to Axel over a couple of ginger ales.  
Number VIII actually sat on the same spot throughout the whole story. When the Nocturne finished, he didn't speak for along while.  
'' This is creepy'', the Flurry of Dancing flames stated at last.  
''What?''  
Axel raised an irritated eyebrow at him.  
'' I've heard of people finding soul mates, but a soulless, on top of it you… It's so concrete, so 'around the corner'''.  
'' Well I like her'' Demyx protested.   
'' I don't care. Got it memorized? What bugs me is that Xemnas ' troubles with you go out over the rest of us. Yesterday, he ran around the castle asking everyone if they had seen you.  
''Then what? Use your imagination-''

_SLAM! _Axel's fist hit the table, cutting off all conversation.

'' He threw open the bathroom door while Larxene was in there-!''  
'' No details! La la la la la!'' Demyx squatted in the seat with his ears covered. The Flurry's fist sank back to the table.  
'' I'll beat the crap outta him.'' Axel brushed away some liquid from his coat sleeve.

With a clattering, Demyx's chair hit the floor. The door slammed shut behind number IX as he left the room. The Flame shook his head.  
'' Seems like I have to ask Roxas for help here''.  
---------

**Present time **  
Despite been running through Hades' Underworld for quite a time, Demyx felt remarkably strong. He wanted to give Ariel something special this last time in a long while, and the Olympus Stone had seemed perfect the first time he saw it.  
By telling Superior that a map of the Organization's plans laid left somewhere in the world of Atlantica, the Nocturne got allowance to an immediate departure and a literal order to not come back before the map was found. This had meant the Nocturne had time to go visiting other worlds at the same trip.

------------  
Demyx actually never thought he'd find a gift for Ariel by entering the Underworld - it seemed to be wrong place to seek in. But then it lay there before his eyes as soon as he entered Hades's domains - well protected by a ring of torches, but the bronze plate above was impossible to miss:

THE OLYMPUS STONE

It took only one second of hesitating - then he launched a pillar of water onto the bonfire circle, and picked out the object from the smouldering rests. Axel couldn't have done something better before a smaller moat.  
But did anyone think he got away with it? Nooooo, of course that traitor Roxas had to take it back from him. Good old Roxas whom had helped out with flooding Halloween town had turned his back to the Organization. With a swish, the portal closed behind him.  
---------

'' You came!'' Ariel cheered from the edge of the ice. Demyx got down on his knees and slid the last part over the frozen surface, stopping a few inches from the edge.  
'' Didn't want to wait. They said on the radio it'll be so cold later in the week that the sea freezes over.  
Of course, Demyx couldn't escape noticing the frost in the redhead's hair.  
'' We shouldn't sit here too long. You might catch a cold or something''.  
'' I'm fine'' she smiled. '' It's the darkness that is the worst''.

'' That's true'', he dug his hand into his pocket and picked out the gift for her. '' I've got something for you''  
'' Oh, wow!'' she whispered with amazement, as Demyx put the small piece of rock into her hand. '' Where did you get this one?''  
'' From Olympus'' Demyx nodded, '' it brightens up in darkness, so you won't sit in a shady palace all the winter-''

'' Somehow I just knew you'd be here''.  
Demyx spun around where he sat. Ariel froze with her hand lifted.  
'' Axel'', the Nocturne hissed. With the long coat grazing the ice surface and leisurely walk, number VIII seemed to float through the air.  
'' Why don't you come back home, Dem? You'll see Ariel here again, you know'' he added in a softer tune.  
'' No way! You'll just make me follow with you to the castle, and then - then you make Namine erase my memories!''

VIII had had it. He took down his reached out hand.

'' Saix is on his way,. An inspection round''. Axel closed the distance to the couple, and dragged without a warning up Demyx at his feet.   
'' What are you doing?'' The Nocturne snapped, trying to wrestle himself out of the grip. Ariel and the rest of the world just waited him to fall into the icy water.  
Axel took a strong grip around the Nocturne's neck and pressed it to his shoulder. Demyx screamed like an animal in pain, refusing to obey. Number VIII's shoulder got a knock, almost sending him into the liquid instead.

'' Roxas!''

Axel sounded commanding. The Nocturne struggled in his wrestling grip when the portal sprung open and the Keyblade Warrior broke into his field of vision.

'' Now!''

It's not easy to calm a raging ocean, but Roxas knew how to do.  
It was like a blunt iron globe hit him in the face when Roxas punched - a fiery sting above his nose, instant numbness, the whole scene whirling by in a kaleidoscope of flashes, before Demyx's vision blurred and he blacked out. Ariel had furiously tried to stop Roxas by gripping onto the hem of his cloak, but the coat was too wide to shorten his range. She suddenly noticed how numb she felt. Seeing how they dragged away the raving Demyx was a terrible scene. With a small sob, she floated back underneath the water surface.

Neither Axel nor Roxas thought they should regret what they had done . Partly because they were heartless - and mainly because they hoped this would make Demyx understand the value of being cautious. The mermaid was saved from Saix's rage and the Nocturne from the future as dusk . He'd have more chances, right? Atlantica was still not overmannered, right?

'' I'll go back to her... Someday'' Demyx blurted out. Axel tapped his shoulder fatherly.  
'' This was for your own best, buddy.''

Fin.

**Author's Note: What can I say? I wrote this one for Valentine's day, and I have been intending to publish it at too- I just never get around to it D.**

**Anyways, hope you liked it ): Thanks for reading :bow:!**


End file.
